The stars of Pash-Mara

Shardmind

Physical Description
Shardminds are crystalline creatures consisting of hundreds of small shards of translucent green, white, red, or amber crystal assembled into humanoid form and animated by a force of pure psionic energy. Shardminds choose their forms to mimic the shapes of humanoids; some take on forms that seem more masculine, while others appear more feminine. A shardmind’s animating force glows dimly from within each of its component shards, emanating most brightly from where the eyes of a natural humanoid would be. This inner light sheds dim light in a shardmind’s space, but a shardmind individual can squelch the light with an instant’s concentration, useful for hiding in the dark for example.

The crystalline fragments making up a shardmind’s body are in constant, silent motion, almost like the circulation of blood. When a shardmind is stunned or unconscious, it might lose control of the tight mental reins that keep its body in humanoid form, a few shards slipping free into orbits around its body until the shardmind regains control.

Shardminds are living creatures only in the loosest sense. Their crystalline bodies require no sustenance, and they don’t breathe. They don’t need sleep, though they must still rest for six hours to gain the benefits of an extended rest. They don’t have gender and don’t reproduce, but the shardminds alive today aren’t the same ones that sprang to life during the Dawn War. Shardminds say that the Living Gate shattered into countless fragments, and each time an awakened shardmind is killed, another one somewhere in the universe stirs to consciousness.

History
Shardminds are sentient fragments of the Living Gate, which once stood at the pinnacle of the intricate lattice of the Astral Sea. Beyond the gate lay the alien Far Realm, and the gate’s destruction during the Dawn War resulted in the rise of the mind flayer empire. Though Ioun’s power holds the portal closed, shardminds seek to rebuild the gate and forever cut off the Far Realm’s ability to influence the world.

Society
Shardminds are fragments of pure thought given life and substance. They are logical, emotionally distant, and naive to the ways of society in the world. Some approach life with Innocent curiosity, eager to embrace the wealth of experience the world has to offer. Others remain resented and aloof, bearing a higher purpose in mind at all times. Though they often seem dispassionate, when a strong emotion seizes them, they experience it powerfully. For example, shardminds don’t get annoyed, they become enraged.

Although the race as a whole shares a common goal of rebuilding the Living Gate, several philosophies disagree on how to accomplish that goal. The three most important sects are the Thought Builders, The God Shards and the Shard Slayers.

Shardmind Traits
Shardminds are sentient fragments of the Living Gate, which once stood at the pinnacle of the intricate lattice of the Astral Sea.Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence increases by 2.Age. Shardminds were created fully mature, and do not physically age.

Size. The average height of a shardmind is 5’ 9"–6’2". Your size is Medium.Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet (6 squares).Telepathy. You can communicate telepathically with any creature within 30 feet (5 squares) that can understand you.Crystalline Mind. You have resistance to psychic damage.Living Construct. You are a Living Construct. Even though you were constructed, you are a humanoid. You are immune to disease. You do not need to eat or breathe, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish.Languages. Common (+ choice of two other languages)

Subrace. Choose a subrace: Shardswarm or Farshard.

Shardswarm
Shardswarm shardminds are constructed from hundreds of small crystals. They can temporarily loosen their mental grip on this form, becoming a swarm of swirling shards. Ability Score Increase.. Your Charisma increases by 1.
Shardswarm. Shard Swarm. As an action, your body breaks apart and moves 15 feet and reforms. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. Every creature adjacent to you before you move must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + your Intelligence modifier + proficiency). Creatures who fail the saving throw take 1d10 piercing damage. You must rest before you can use this ability again.
Crystalline Containment. You can enclose up to your light load worth of equipment, its essence magically stored, inside crystals that are part of your swarm. This equipment appears back in its normal position when you assume humanoid form.
Crystalline Body. You can incorporate any armor and/or weapons made from Mundane Crystal or Deep Crystal to be part of your swarm of crystals. It will break into smaller crystals when you enter your swarm form, but still convey its bonuses, and rematerialize into armor when you enter humanoid form. You can remove it in humanoid form and sell it or replace it if you want.
Crystalline Hands. Unarmed attacks do 1d4 bludgeoning/piercing damage.

Farshard
Farshard shardminds originate from the side of the Living Gate closest to the Far Realm. Their bodies have become more fluid, constructed from semi-liquid crystals, and they have a propensity for psionic powers. Ability Score Increase.. Your Wisdom increases by 1.
Psionics. Your innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom. You can innately cast the following spells, They do not count towards max spells known: feather fall, mage hand. Races